OWO Church of Tandag

One Way Outreach is an international movement committed to the great commission.

One Way – stands for our unchanged message (John 14:6)
Outreach – stands for our unlimited mission (Matthew 28:19-20)

The International One Way Outreach Foundation, Inc.here in the Philippines is composed of 14 Districts with multiples Areas composing at least 9 Churches each Area. The OWO Church of Tandag is under District 8 Area II with the Area Supervisor Rev. Antonio N. Azon supervising 9 Churches.

History of the Church

It was in the year 1972, when God had spoken to His servant Rev. Benjamin Gaitano Jr. about a door to be opened for him. He was at that time pastoring a church of the General Baptist Church located at Gempesaw St., Davao City. God had spoken to him saying: “Behold, I Have set for thee an open door that no one can shut it.” During that time, Rev. Gaitano was involved in a “core” group called; Christ the Only Way (COW), and he was the chosen coordinator for Davao City. This movement was composed of both evangelical and Pentecostal churches. While involving himself with this organization, God had started working about His new plan for Rev. Gaitano. The time had come for him to be pulled out from the church he was handling, and he transferred to Quirino St. in January 6, 1973. He waited for the fulfillment of the word given to him by God about an “open door”. In the same year, a Roman Catholic priest form Panabo Parish Church came, requesting him to teach a Bible Study in his ParishChurch. Father Lynch asked that favor from him, and God had convicted him that this was the open door He was saying to him. Brother Ben, as they called him, accepted the invitation, and he started teaching the Bible inside the Roman Catholic Church in Panabo. Many catholic attended the Bible study, and they love listening to the teachings through Rev. Gaitano. After teaching for eleven months, many of those that attended the Bible Study had decided to submit themselves to water baptism. They requested Brother Ben to officiate the Baptism, but he refused to do so, for he knew that this is against the doctrine of the Catholic Church. They insisted on him to baptize them, so later on, Rev. Gaitano baptized them, but they did it at nighttime so that the clergy of the church will not notice it. Time had come that Father Lynch was to be transferred to another church, and another priest will be taking his position as the Parish of Panabo. Father Grady replaced the outgoing priest, and at that time, the laymen of the church passed a petition, asking to remove Rev. Gaitano from teaching the Bible Study in the church, for the reason that he is not a catholic, but a protestant pastor in reality. Later on, the priest approved the petition, and he requested Brother Ben to stop teaching the Bible inside the Parish Hall. In spite of this, the people who had been faithfully attending the Bible Study didn’t want to stop their regular Bible Study. They requested Rev. Gaitano to continue the study of the Bible at the residence of Mr. & Mrs. Julian Robles in crossing Panabo.

Rev. Gaitano granted the request of the people, and they continued the Bible study with the prayers of his wife Mrs. Grace Gaitano and Sister Emy Deluao. Rev. Gaitano suffered from persecutions, and sacrificed himself in taking care of the new converts. He believed the word he heard from God, so he continued because he knew that the door that God had opened for him, will never shut.

In the 6th day of January, 1974, the Bible study made their first year anniversary at the Parish Hall of the Roman Catholic Church at Panabo, and Rev. Gaitano invited the Indonesian Bamboo Band to highlight the celebration.

After the first year of conducting the Bible study, the need for registration arises because of the accusations that they were operating illegally. Rev. Gaitano chose the name One Way Outreach Inc. to be the identity of the movement. This name was taken from John 14:6 that says: “and Jesus answered; “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.”. From the time on, One Way Outreach became a popular name in the town of Panabo. In the same year, God sent an American missionary to help the One Way Outreach. Rev. Albert Melrose arrived on the right time when the One Way Outreach started to grow rapidly. Just like in the vision that Rev. Gaitano saw, the churches that were established were like mushrooms springing up. From Panabo it went all over Mindanao and at one point became the fastest growing group in Mindanao. Today, One Way Outreach has over 500 churches.